About

Speaking Easy is a cocktail podcast with a twist. Co-hosts Alex and Jordan are both avid cocktail party hosts, often in the company of one another, and have had several people approach them separately about sharing some of their accumulated knowledge on cocktails and entertaining.

While imbibing one evening, Alex and Jordan had a conversation about how this had happened to both of them, and an article in the New York Times (“The Death of the Party“) assured them that the fine art of mixing drinks hosting your friends in your home was something that a) people their age wanted to hear about and b) were often confused on how to start. Not exactly a ‘call to action’ so much as an ‘invitation to party.’

Our goal is to break down the cocktails, planning, and other details needed to throw a great party, whether it’s 4 people or 40.

Now that twist–we’re most definitely not professionals. Both podcast hosts hold “real” jobs, and outside of hosting in their homes, are not actual bartenders. Alex and Jordan are enthusiasts, and approach the show from that perspective–not trying to create a whole new cocktail revolution, but rather, spreading the word about picking up a few things that have worked for them as they entertain friends.

If you watch a lot of “how-to’s” out there, you may see a professional bartender recommending a $75, hard-to-find, obscure ingredient that, yes, might create a world-class drink. We, however, are more interested in crafting an always satisfying drink, night-after-night, for your friends and family. Leave the fancy work to the professionals–we’re just trying to keep the party going.

We don’t expect to teach you to be the best bartender in the world–we’re certainly not. We’re hoping, as we say at the end of each show, that you’ll come along as we all toast “to being a better drinker.”

Cocktail Podcast Hosts & Producer

Alex Luboff

Alex has come a long was since his first cocktail (“Magic Fanta,” orange soda and orange vodka) back at Indiana University. As he’s gotten older, Alex has read up on the classic cocktails and changes them ever so slightly in the drinks he makes at home, and nerds out on cocktail history. He is thrilled to no end that Washington, D.C. is the birthplace of the Rickey. He’ll listen to your thoughts on whiskey and gin any day. When not mixing up cocktails for friends, he enjoys hiking, adventures in sandwiches, and blues music. His epitaph will read “In Search of the Perfect Lemon.”

Jordan Wicker

Jordan’s first liquor of choice was gin, but mostly because a gin and tonic is such an easy drink–both to make and to drink. Although he still regularly enjoys a dry Martini or Negroni, he is now firmly in the brown water camp. His interest in home bar tending really took off when he started “collecting” more bourbon, and wanted variety in his drinks. Although he’d certainly been drinking them prior, his first cocktail “memory” is the Manhattan he ordered at the Violet Hour in Chicago sometime around 2010. He’s got strong affinity for classic cocktails without the gimmicks.

Tyler Lloyd

Tyler is a self-professed cocktail idiot, who prefers a bourbon with a large cube of ice over a mixed drink. If you want to talk about the science behind distilling, flavoring, and aging alcohol, he will readily dive deep into the nitty-gritty biological and chemical details. What Tyler lacks in cocktail knowledge, he makes up for in his ability to edit podcasts, produce videos, and design websites. Mr. Lloyd’s tech skills help turn Alex and Jordan’s knowledge into the Speaking Easy Podcast.